Part Nineteen : Virgas is Captured; The Senshi Lament, and the Villains Celebrate
Listen to Fukai Mori
Hades shifted on the branch uncomfortably as a light breeze moved the branches where he, Athena, Artemis, and Luna waited for Dorei to come out of her music lesson. In the meantime, the guardians were allowed some time with each other, and the two groups left each other alone for some quality time with the other.
Hades and Athena stopped talking as someone passed by the tree. “It’s nice up here,” Athena spoke up after the person was a good distance away. Athena scooted closer to her mate, and she leaned her head on his shoulders. Hades smiled at Athena’s rare intimate contact with him, but he liked it all the same.
“I’m never going to leave you,” Hades said as he leaned his head on hers, and they just stayed like that without saying anything.
“I know that,” Athena said affectionately.
Meanwhile, the cats were sharing their own affectionate talk.
Dorei, who had just walked out of her voice lesson, interrupted their talk. “Never is a long time,” she said as she overheard Artemis repeat what Hades had just said.
“No, it’s not,” Athena said as she stretched her wings in order to get ready to leave.
“It’s not enough time,” Hades agreed.
“Has the love bug finally struck you?” Dorei asked as she took note of Hades’s strange behavior. “You never act like this.”
However, Hades wasn’t paying attention, as he was too busy talking with Athena again.
Another small breeze picked up, and Dorei had to pull her hair back in order to keep it out of her face. However, the same light breeze soon turned into a sudden, violent wind, and the dragons had to take cover in Dorei’s purse while Dorei shielded her eyes to keep the blowing dust out of her eyes. The cats huddled together, and the group stopped walking because it would be too hard to walk against the strong wind.
A maniacal laugh was heard within the dust storm, and when the dust cleared, Hades and Athena were afraid to poke their heads out of Dorei’s purse.
“Virgas!” a young woman said as she stepped toward Dorei. The entire street was clear of people because they had all made a run for shelter from the dust storm.
“Raven,” Dorei said in shock as she recognized Kaboku’s younger sister. “And Sparrow,” she said as she narrowed her eyes as Sparrow walked up to her sister. The two looked like normal humans dressed in tight jeans and a black peasant top, and Dorei would never have guessed that they would have been from the Dark Realm.
“This is all too easy,” Sparrow said as she gave her sister a high-five.
The dragons flew out of the purse, and Dorei searched for her transformation bracelet. Suddenly, a tall, red yajuu was standing in front of her, and it ripped the purse from her. The creature threw the purse to Raven, who caught it. She looked through it, but when she found nothing of interest, she threw it to the ground.
“Go get the others,” Athena told Hades.
“But…” Hades said as he realized that they were being torn apart just like Dorei had implied that they would eventually.
“Go with him,” Luna urged Artemis, who also realized the same thing as Hades. Athena flew up into the air, and she attacked the yajuu. The creature threw its arms up in the air, and it managed to get a whack at Athena, and she fall to the ground. Hades and Artemis, who were both reluctant to leave, managed to escape the yajuu, and they left to get the other senshi.
Although Luna had never met the two girls before, she knew by the look on Dorei’s face that they were from the Dark Realm. She made a dash for one of the girls, and she managed to get close enough to spring up, and she made a large scratch on Raven’s arm. Sparrow helped her sister by hitting Luna out of the way, and she too was flung to the ground. She managed to land on her feet, and she caught her breath.
Meanwhile, the yajuu grabbed a hold of Dorei by the arms, and she screamed in shock. She tried to free herself from the creature, but it only held on to her tighter. With one free hand, the yajuu picked up the two female guardians easily, and it walked over to where the two girls were.
“Rotten creature!” Raven sobbed as she looked at her arm again. Another violent wind picked up, and the entire group disappeared. Dorei’s purse, which had been thrown on the floor, remained where Raven had left it. The purse’s brown cover flapped in the gentle breeze that was left over from the recent wind.
Kerai stretched her legs as she turned the page of her book. She looked up to see clouds moving through the sky slowly, and she breathed in the clean air. Even though the air should have felt good in her lungs, it seemed to intoxicate her body that had been conditioned to live in the Dark Realm.
With nothing better to do, Kerai had been sitting on the balcony of the apartment reading a book that had been lying around the apartment. Kerai loved to read, but reading something that was as unfamiliar as this was a new experience for Kerai. She liked it.
Kerai jumped at the sound of a door slam loudly, and she turned in her inclined chair to see Kaboku walk quickly from the far side of the apartment to where she was sitting on the balcony.
“Virgas,” Kaboku began; Kerai could easily tell that Kaboku had been running because he was out of breath, and she guessed that he had ran to the apartment from wherever he had been.
“Yes?” Kerai said. She knew that whatever news he was going to bring was going to be something good for them because he would not have ran all the way just for nothing.
“Virgas has been captured,” Kaboku finally said. Kerai’s mouth dropped open, and she dropped the book from where it had been resting on her lap.
“You can’t be serious,” Kerai stated flatly as she suspected that this was Kaboku’s idea of a cruel joke.
“You’ll never guess who did it,” Kaboku said as a look of disgust and agitation crossed his face.
Kerai’s eyes widened. “No,” she said. She knew deep down that Kaboku’s sisters were too stupid to be able to capture a senshi.
“I don’t know how they did it. I’m sure Kyuuteki helped them somehow,” Kaboku said.
“Sends us out on the tough mission,” Kerai mumbled as she sat back in her seat. “Guess that just means we’re more trustworthy.” No one answered, and Kerai rolled her eyes helplessly as she heard Kaboku close the door to his room. It was a stretch to think that she and Kaboku would actually have a real conversation where they both agreed on something.
“Or not,” Kerai sighed as she was about to call to Kaboku, but she gave up. If it weren’t for the fact that she liked Kaboku, Kerai would have given up on him a long time ago. But no, Kerai knew that there was something right between them, and she was not going to give up on Kaboku until she figured out what that was.
True, Kaboku had almost no positive feelings toward her, but Kerai was determined to make Kaboku see the same thing that she saw. Kerai knew better than to let herself be lead by false hopes, so she knew that this was leading her somewhere instead of nowhere. Kaboku just needed to see the same thing that she saw, and she was sure that once he did, he would not feel negatively toward her.
Kaboku walked out a few seconds after Kerai pondered her last question, and she managed to catch him before he went back into his room. She sprang up from her chair when she saw him walk across the apartment, and she stepped in front of him.
“Are we going to stay here much longer?” she asked. When Kaboku raised an eyebrow at her, Kerai blushed. “I just think that it’s rather nice here, that’s all.”
Kaboku had to take a few seconds to digest this before he realized just what Kerai had said. “You can’t mean that?” he asked in disbelief. Kaboku had always believed Kerai to have a lot of pride in living in the Dark Realm, and she was one of the last people he thought he would hear that from.
“Well, it is nice here,” Kerai defended herself.
“Are the senshi getting to you?” Kaboku hissed angrily. He was not going to let a member of the Dark Realm start to have feelings for the earth. It was just unheard of.
“No,” Kerai retorted, but she couldn’t help but notice that Kaboku was concerned. In fact, Kerai really enjoyed the time that she was able to spend there on earth with KAboku, but she just couldn't let him know that.
“Are you losing the motive for our mission?” Kaboku question again.
“No!” Kerai pleaded, and her voice showed that she did not want to do anything that Kaboku didn’t like.
“Don’t become attached to the earth. That’s what it will do to you. Even though you may not like it here, it’s something that has to do with the positive energy, and pretty soon you won’t want to leave at all,” Kaboku warned.
“I know,” Kerai said as she put her head down.
“We’ve been away from the Dark Realm for too long,” Kaboku agreed with Kerai’s silent statement.
Although Kerai didn’t say anything, she nodded. She knew that the earth was doing this to her, and she was going to have to resist.
Kyuuteki rose from his throne proudly as the large doors to the courtroom opened. A cold breeze followed the open doors, but Kyuuteki didn’t mind as his eyes were fixed on the two yajuus that had entered the room with Dorei in their grasp. Dorei struggled as hard as she could against the two creatures, but the fact that she wasn’t in senshi form hurt her a lot, and she was a lot weaker than she normally would have been.
Raven and Sparrow soon entered the courtroom, and this time they were dressed in their normal black and lime green dresses. The people who were in the courtroom stood aside in order to make way for the yajuus, their cargo, and the two girls. A third yajuu entered the courtroom, and it was carrying two cages, one in either hand, and inside the cages were Luna and Athena.
“Stay calm,” Athena called to the senshi. Dorei kicked and struggled against the yajuus even more after she heard that, but no matter what, she was not able to do anything that worked to get free of the creatures.
The procession reached an area in front of Kyuuteki, and the girls actually showed manners by bowing before Kyuuteki.
“Excellent work,” Kyuuteki said with a form of a smile on his face. Although this was not the senshi that he had in mind, he was thankful that they had at least gotten a hold of one of the senshi.
“Where’s Boki?” Raven asked after Kyuuteki sat down on his throne again.
“He and Kerai are still on earth looking for another senshi,” Kyuuteki said. “They already know about Virgas.”
Dorei breathed in deeply as she remembered that she had seen Kaboku and Kerai when she had left her music lesson. It was possible that they had sent the information on to Kyuuteki, and Kyuuteki had sent Kaboku’s sisters to go in for the kill.
Dorei quickly started thinking of ways to try to warn the other senshi. She knew that if Kyuuteki had his way then Shakaku would be the next target because he had always wanted her to come to the Dark Realm. She figured that the only reason why Raven and Sparrow were able to get her was because there were so many times when she was alone, and she didn’t even try to hide.
“Bring her here,” Kyuuteki commanded the yajuus. The two creatures did as they were told, and they took a few steps forward. Dorei continued to struggle even though she knew that there was almost no possible way for her to get free.
When the yajuus were close enough, they threw Dorei to the ground. Even the simple throw made Dorei hit the ground hard, but she tried not to show that she was in pain.
“Senshi of Virgas,” Kyuuteki addressed, but he did not stand up. “Isn’t it ironic that this fortress used to be your home?” Kyuuteki asked.
Dorei looked up at Kyuuteki with a look of disgust on her face, and she didn’t answer.
“Of course you won’t answer,” Kyuuteki stated. “I guess it must be a real dishonor being the first senshi to be captured by us. It shouldn’t be a dishonor, though; think of it as a great opportunity.”
“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?” Dorei asked as though she was speaking to a little child. This was not the first time that Kyuuteki had confronted her.
“Because there is always hope, even if it is negative,” Kyuuteki replied. He didn’t want to raise his voice at the senshi because then that would close the doors on any light of hope that there might have been at getting her to stay in the Dark Realm and work for him.
“Oh yes, unlike others, I know the meaning of friendship. I know the meaning of hope, emotions, and yes, even love,” Kyuuteki explained. Perhaps now Dorei would think that he was worthy of a chance.
“No, you don’t,” Dorei replied.
Kyuuteki’s eyes flared a violent shade of crimson, “You dare question what I know and do not know?!” he finally let himself raise his voice.
“You also know the meaning and effects of lying,” Dorei retorted at him. No way was she going to fall for his fake emotions.
“Take her to the cells!” Kyuuteki boomed out, and almost instantly, the two yajuus seized her once again, and Dorei was forced to leave the courtroom with them. There was no use fighting them now.
Hoshi looked surprisingly calm considering her partner had just been captured. She took a seat at the small table in the center of Kaichuu and Shakaku’s living room. The remaining constellations, Hades, Pele, Artemis, and the inner senshi including Mamoru were at the apartment because they had all learned from Artemis what had happened.
“Mom,” Pele sobbed, and Enzeru offered her shoulder for Pele to cry on. “Something bad could happen to her,” Pele continued to sob.
“How did they find out where Dorei was?” Rei asked the other senshi calmly.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Hoshi asked in an agitated tone. True, Hoshi looked comfortable, but after that statement, she seemed rather moody, and only Enzeru dared to sit next to her.
“What she means is,” Shakaku tried to explain calmly, “that Kyuuteki must have sent spies in order to look for one of us.”
“How did they know where to start?” Ami asked. This entire mission that Kyuuteki must have arranged seemed very carefully planned because it was almost impossible to find a senshi in the middle of such a large city. That intrigued Ami.
“Stupid rock and her owner,” Kaichuu said in reference to Kerai and Kaboku.
“No,” Hades finally spoke up. Everyone listened because he was one of only two that had actually been there when Dorei was captured. “Kerai and Kaboku didn’t attack us.”
“That’s right!” Artemis remembered.
“Raven and Sparrow,” Hades directed the comment toward Enzeru, Shakaku, Kaichuu, and Hoshi.
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Kaichuu said. She had always believed that those two were even dumber than Kaboku and Kerai. “There’s no way.”
“They were there in street clothes,” Artemis tried to explain with Hades. Hoshi was the only one who remained silent, as even Minako and Makoto participated in the conversation. Hoshi just couldn’t believe that Dorei had been captured, and by those two nonetheless.
“Oh my gosh!” Usagi suddenly explained, and all of the girls stopped their chatter.
“What, meatball brain?” Chibiusa said as she rolled her eyes at Usagi’s display of childish excitement.
“Shut up,” Usagi said as she stuck her tongue out. “Remember what I told you, Shakaku?”
Shakaku thought about what Usagi was talking about, and then it hit her.
“That’s right,” Mamoru said as he also thought about the same thing. When Usagi and I were out on a date we saw Kaboku and Kerai at the same restaurant.”
Kaichuu just out right laughed, and all of the girls turned to look at her. “I’m sorry,” she said after she regained control of herself. “That’s just a really funny mental picture. The other senshi also began to laugh when they pictured the big, bad villains striding into a restaurant like regular humans.
“Wait a second,” Minako started after everyone had stopped snickering. “How did they find Dorei when she wasn’t even transformed?”
Enzeru took a deep breath. “They’ve seen us far too many times by now that they know us by either form.”
All of the senshi paused for a moment at the thought. It was scary to think that Kaboku and Kerai could have been in the city with them, and they didn’t even know it, but the two of them would have.
“So what do we do now?” Makoto asked. All of the senshi looked at each other. That was now the main question.
“We’ll just have to wait and see what Kyuuteki’s next move will be. Knowing him, he’ll make an appearance,” Hades said. It was his place to speak considering he knew Kyuuteki better than anyone else. Hades still shuddered every time he thought about his time as Kyuuteki’s advisor.
“Shouldn’t we be worried about Dorei?” Ami asked. That was exactly what the other inner senshi were wondering. If one of them had been caught, then they would have acted immediately to try and get the other senshi back to safety.
“Dorei’s a big girl, I’m sure she can handle herself,” Shakaku tried to reassure the other senshi. The inner senshi were still not comforted, but they realized that the Constellations had the most control over the situation because they knew the enemies better, and Dorei herself was a Constellation.
Back to Part Eighteen ~
On to Part Twenty